Title IX Through the Years

June 23, 1972

Title IX of the Civil Rights Act is signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

1972

The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) has its first full academic year of operation.

1975

Donna Lopiano becomes the first director of Women’s Athletics at the UT Austin, and shortly after, she publicly opposes a proposed amendment to Title IX that certain sports, like football, would be exempt from Title IX regulations.

1979

As a result of Title IX, ESPN begins broadcasting intercollegiate women basketball.

1980

AIAW’s dismantling begins and is replaced by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). The women’s athletic department at UT disagrees with the dismantle, with concern that the NCAA cared more about profiting from student athletes than the athletes themselves.

1988

Title IX application is made mandatory for any school that receives federal funding.

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Pres. Richard Nixon, Title IX

1992

Seven female athletes sue the UT Austin for failure to comply with Title IX. Jody Conradt, executive director of the Women’s Sports Foundation, made progress in settling the lawsuits by adding three more sports teams for women: softball, soccer and rowing.

1993

Jody Conradt becomes the athletic director of Women’s Athletics at UT. In May, UT settles all lawsuits previously filed for issues related to Title IX.

1999

UT is ranked as one of the top three colleges for women’s athletics by Sports Illustrated.

2020

Amendments to Title IX take effect,
mostly concerning sexual harassment.

2023

As of the writing of this timeline, Gov. Greg Abbot signed House Bill 25, which states that K-12 students who participate in interscholastic competition can only play on teams in accordance with the sex listed on their official birth certificate, and Senate Bill 15, which expands that restriction to collegiate sports. These laws directly challenge President Joe Biden’s interpretation of Title IX, prohibiting schools from following Biden’s interpretation.